


Beyond Daydreams

by LamiaDusk



Category: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hate Sex, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Mary Sue, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-18 09:26:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17578253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LamiaDusk/pseuds/LamiaDusk
Summary: To grow up means to give up one's dreams, at least that's what Cassandra thinks. She lives an ordinary life with her mother and younger sister, caught in a daily routine that leaves her unfulfilled. But all that changes when she finds a mysterious crystal shard in her garden and is sent to the land of Hyrule... a land that, while unknown to her, still feels eerily familiar.





	1. A Whole New World

**Author's Note:**

> So this is kind of a remake of the first fanfiction I ever wrote. I changed a lot about the plot (since the original fic that I wrote at the tender age of 12 years didn't have much of a plot to speak of) and the characters (see preceding statement), but in essence, it is still the kind of adventure I would have loved to have. It's silly, self-indulgent, probably not that good, but I still love this story to bits. Cassandra and her abilities are wish-fulfillment and I am not even ashamed to admit that. So if you're bothered by a simple girl having some fun... I think you have bigger issues than having read a bad fanfiction.  
> So to anyone still reading at this point: I hope you enjoy it, or at least enjoy hating it.

Fate is a strange thing. A tangled mess of strings and threads, that somehow always end up just where they belong. That's how it has always been. But sometimes, I wondered if fate really existed. Wondered if we weren't just the victims of chance and circumstance. Then, one day, my question was answered,- in a way I could have never anticipated.

The day began like any other. I woke up long before my alarm clock would do its daily duty, and spent a few minutes in the velvety darkness pondering all of the things I had to do today. First I'd go to work, then I had to help my younger sister with her homework, and then... what?  
I would have loved to spend some time with my friends, but most of them had significant others now, and thus were to busy to hang out. Especially during this time of the year, when the summer sun mercilessly scorched the country with her rays, they had all taken some days off to enjoy the heat.  
It sucked to be the only single in my friend group.  
I stood up, absentmindedly rubbing the sleepy dust from the corners of my eyes, and walking towards the kitchen, where, judging by the scent hanging in the air, my mother was preparing breakfast.

„Good morning, Cassie“, my mother greeted me. „Did you sleep well?“  
She was packing my sister's lunch, still in her nightgown and obviously still very tired.  
I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl next to the fridge and shrugged. „Eh, so-so. I always have trouble sleeping when it's so hot.“  
Mom looked over to me. „You know, it wouldn't hurt you to have breakfast with Genny and me every once in a while, instead of just eating an apple and leaving.“  
„Mom, you know that I just can't get myself to eat in the morning.“ I looked around. „Speaking of Genny, where is she?“  
„I think she just went outside. Tinka climbed the old tree again and won't come down.“  
I sighed. Tinka was our cat, a beautiful, pure white European Short-Hair. But her lovely looks seemed to hide the fact that she appearantly had trouble remembering that she was scared of heights. „I'll go get her.“

My younger sister Genevieve, Genny for short was standing in front of the old tree in our backyard. Nobody quite knew what kind of tree it was, only that my grandmother had planted it in her youth. It kind of resembled an oak, except that the nuts it bore every fall certainly weren't acorns.  
Genny turned around when she heard my footsteps. She looked at lot like me when I was her age, before I got my glasses. We both had brown hair, though I had been keeping mine in a short, messy bob for the past few years while hers reached her mid-back, and we both had green eyes.   
„Tinka is too scared to come down“, she told me softly. A habit she had picked up when she found out that I was very sensitive to people talking loudly.  
I smiled at her. „That's okay. Go inside; breakfast is ready. I'll go get Tinka.“  
She nodded and poked me in the arm as she walked past me and I poked her back, something we started doing as a way of showing affection a while ago, as Genny did not like being hugged.   
Once the door closed behind her, I turned to the tree again and sighed. „Here goes nothing...“  
Climbing the tree was no trouble for me, as I had been climbing that tree a lot as a child. I reached for higher branches, carefully scanning for the ones thick enough to hold my weight, until I was high enough to grab Tinka. That's when I noticed it. It was as if someone had carved a small hole into the tree, and hidden something sparkling in it.   
„Concentrate“, I told myself, but the object in that hole seemed to attract my thoughts like a magnet. So I carefully reached inside, and felt the cool, smooth surface of something resembling glass. As I pulled it out, I heard Tinka hiss. Suddenly, the object began to glow so bright that I had to shield my eyes, lost my balance, and fell.

The fall seemed to last an eternity. The tree wasn't very high, so what took so long? Or maybe I had already hit the floor and was just knocked out? But then how could I feel the edges of the shard I had pulled out of the tree so clearly against the palm of my hand?  
After some time, I finally hit ground. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs and the glasses off my face. It took some time for me to be able to breathe again. However, I did not see much upon opening my eyes, as I was as good as blind without my glasses. Then I heard footsteps. Tiny footsteps, as if a group of children was approaching me.  
„Who is it? What is it?“, one of them asked. It was the voice of a little boy.  
Another, the voice of a girl, said:„A Hylian!“  
„Nonsense“, a third voice hissed. „Have you ever seen Hylians with ears or clothes like that?“  
„What does it want?“, asked another. „How did it get here?“  
Now, they were all talking at once, quite loudly, too, which prompted me to press my hands on my ears, like I always did when there was too much noise. The sudden movement seemed to startle the children, as they went quiet.  
„Oh no, I think we scared it.“ As I looked up, one of the children had left the group and approached me.  
„Saria, don't! It might be dangerous!“  
„It doesn't look dangerous.“ The girl named 'Saria' now stood right in front of me, close enough that even I could make out some features. Most notably her green hair, but also the green clothes.  
„You know“, I said dryly. „It's very rude to call someone 'it'. I'm a she, if you want to know.“  
„It talks!“, I heard one of the other children whisper.  
Saria leaned closer. „I'm... sorry, but we've never seen someone like you. And we didn't mean to scare you.“  
„You didn't“, I replied. „I just don't like it when many people talk at once. It hurts my ears.“  
„Oh. Well, we didn't mean to hurt you, either. Do you have a name?“  
„Cassandra“, I said. Then I turned to scan the ground for my glasses again. „C-could you please help me find my glasses?“  
„What's a glasses?“, Saria asked.  
I sighed a deep sigh. „It's something that helps me see. My eyes are really bad, you know?“  
„Oh.“ She walked past me, looking at the ground and finally picking something up and handing it to me. „Is this what you're looking for?“  
„My glasses!“, I cheered. „Thank you.“ Maybe now I could get a better idea of where I was and what had happened.  
Once they were in their place again, I turned to the group of children. All of them seemed to be around 10 years old, with either red, brown or blonde hair (or green, in Saria's case). They all wore green clothes, made of a fabric I couldn't quite name.  
I had never seen any of them before, so I was about to ask what they were doing in my garden. But when I looked around, my jaw dropped. I was not in my garden anymore.  
I was in a forest, at the foot of an absolutely massive tree. I had never seen a tree this big before. Then I noticed the signs of decay on its trunk and how the last leaves were falling.   
This tree was very, very dead.  
„Where am I?“, I asked, even though it felt terribly clichéd.  
„This is Kokiri Forest“, Saria answered kindly. The name struck a cord in me. It seemed so familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had heard it before.  
„Yes, and you shouldn't be here“, a boy from the group snapped. Then he turned to Saria. „Saria, this thing is bad news. First the Great Deku Tree's death, Link leaving, and now a weird... thing showing up here? This just spells trouble!“  
„Mido! You're being very rude. Can't you see that Cassandra has no idea where she is?“, Saria scolded him. Then she turned to me again. „Can you stand?“  
„I... think.“ I carefully got up, still a little wonky, but at least standing. „So. Kokiri Forest, huh? Do you kids live here? Where are your parents?“  
The group of kids began to whisper among themselves again. „Parents? What's she talking about?“, one boy asked.  
„I.. I think she means adults“, another said.  
„Adults? We don't have those here.“  
I let out a small laugh of disbelief. „You're pulling my leg. You're telling me you kids live here... all on your own? No adults?“  
„No adults“, Saria confirmed. Then she looked around. „Mido may have been a bit rude before, but he had a point. You cannot stay here. Otherwise, the magic of the forest will turn you into a monster.“  
For a moment, I thought that she was joking, but then I saw how utterly serious her face was.  
„You're kidding“, I said.  
„Unfortunately not“, she replied, taking my hand. „Come on. I'll lead you out of the forest.“

She led me away from the giant dead tree to another clearing in the forest, through a small village of child-sized houses, all carved into the stumps of trees.  
Only then I saw the many floating lights.  
„What are those?“, I asked, staring at them.  
„Have you never seen a fairy before?“, Saria asked, and like on cue, a small ball of light with a green aura popped out of a pocket on her clothes. It had wings, but due to its glow, I could not make out any other features.  
„Fairies“, I repeated slowly. „No. Not outside of books, at least.“  
But as fascinating as this was, I also had the nagging feeling that all of this seemed eerily familiar.  
As we approached what seemed to be the exit of the woods, Saria let go of my hand. „This is as far as I can take you“, she explained. „I do not know anything about the world outside of the forest. I do not know what will wait for you on the other side.“  
„That's okay“, I replied. „Thank you for your help.“ Then I stepped out of the woods and into the bright light of the outside.


	2. A Fateful Encounter

I shielded my eyes against the bright morning sun as I stepped out from underneath the thick canopy of the forest. Before me lay miles upon miles of grasslands, with no other person in sight in any direction. I sighed, not knowing where to go. Then I noticed that my hand was still tightly clasped around the odd shard I had found. Well, now I had more than enough time to take a look at it. It seemed to be some kind of crystal that had been broken off of a bigger one. It was about half as long and wide as my index finger, and of a deep red colour. I put it in the breastpocket of my vest and picked just started walking. Sooner or later, I would surely find someone who could help me.

A few hours later, I cursed myself, this weird land and whatever higher power had decided to suddenly throw me into a world I did not know. It was already noon, and I had thus far found no trace of civilization. Just the endless expanse of the fields. I was starting to get hungry and thirsty, and my feet were aching.  
„Fuck this“, I mumbled under my breath and sat down in the soft grass to take a short rest. While I was sitting there, thinking about my situation and what to do next, I heard the unmistakable sound of horses approaching my location  
It had been a while, since I had even seen a horse. But the soft clop clop clop of their hooves hitting the ground was something I would never forget. I jumped to my feet, ecstatic that in the end, I had been found, but my euphoria didn't last long.  
The people that approached me on their horses were all armed to the teeth with cutlasses and halberds. And from what I could tell, all but one of them were female, with dark skin and red hair.  
The sole man in the group was huge, towering over all of his companions, and it was not just because his horse was enormous. Suddenly, the crystal in my pocket began to glow, as if it was reacting to the approaching group. I quickly took it in my hand, hoping that my skin and flesh would somewhat disguise its light. Something told me that there people were not friendly.  
Once they spotted me, they approached me at a smart trot, sorrounding me so I had no way of escaping.  
Now that he was up close, the man, appearantly the leader, seemed even bigger. I had colleagues at work that were 6ft or taller, but he would have towered over all of them. This man must have been 7ft or even taller. I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.  
„Well well.. what have we here. How foolish of you to wander through Hyrule Field all on your own.“  
At this point, my attention was drawn to his right hand, marked with a symbol made up of three triangles. And it was glowing, just like the crystal. I clutched it tighter. „I have my reasons.“  
„Is that so?“ He dismounted and came up to me. I barely reached his chest, and I wasn't particularly short. Flaming red hair sorrounded a perfectly pure jewel on his forehead, contrasting with his dark skin. Skin which, as I noticed, had a slightly green-ish tint. „Do these reasons have to do with the artifact you're carrying?“  
„Artifact?“ I looked at my closed fist. I did not know how, but I knew that I couldn't let him have the crystal under any circumstances. „I don't know what you're talking about.“  
„The shard you have in your hand“, he said, still perfectly calm, like someone who was used to commanding and being obeyed. „Give it to me.“  
I lifted my hand, let him catch a glimpse of the desired object, then stuck it in my mouth and swallowed it before he could react.  
His yellow eyes widened and his hands jerked to my neck, as if he would try to strangle the crystal out of me again. But as soon as he touched my skin, he screamed in pain and retreated, finding his hands covered in blisters.  
He had burned himself on me.  
Power surged through my body, lifted my spirits and filled me with grim determination.  
I had expected him to be angry when he looked at me again. But he wasn't. Instead, there was a morbid curiosity gleaming in his eyes. „The Triforce shard protected her. This is fascinating.“  
He turned to one of his companions, who had watched all of this calmly. There was something off about these women; their eyes were empty, their faces expressionless. „Tie her up, but make sure not to touch her. I'll take her to the castle with me.“  
Suddenly, a bright light flashed, and someone grabbed my arm.  
„Come with me if you want to live!“, a woman's voice shouted, and before I knew it, I was on a horse, behind a woman with white hair, and saw the silhouette of the man and his brainwashed companions fading into the horizon.  
Once they were gone, I tried to turn to my mysterious saviour. „Who are you?“  
„Escaping now, introductions later“, the woman snapped, making the horse take up even more speed, as we dashed across the field until I could see a town in the distance.

Once we reached the town, the woman dismounted and helped me down as well. My heart was punding and my knees were shaking so badly that I almost dropped to the ground. My saviour patted the horse on the neck. „Sorry to push you so hard“, she told it. „But this was an emergency.“  
Then she turned to me. „Come on. We have a lot to discuss.“  
„I... okay.“  
None of this made sense. This was all some crazy feverdream. But nonetheless, I followed her as she brought the horse to the town-stable and then ushered me into one of the houses.

The house was quite medieval. It consisted of only one room, as far as I could tell, and the wooden furniture was very obviously handmade. Two beds, a table and two chairs were the only kind of furnishings.  
There was another person in the room. They wore a white turban that let a few blonde strands of hair fall into their face and a mask that covered their nose and mouth, with an almost skin-tight suit. On their chest was the symbol of a crying eye. They were qite short, but still I had a hard time telling how old they were.  
Their crimson eyes looked me over before turning to the woman:„Who is this, Impa?“  
„A victim of our folly, I fear“, the woman named Impa sighed. „Our plan to hide the shard in another world appears to have failed. Instead, it returned and pulled this woman along with it.“  
The person approached me. „My name is Shiek. What's yours?“  
„C...Cassandra“, I introduced myself.  
„Cassandra“, they repeated. „Do you know where you are?“  
I looked around. „I... I'm not sure. I know I've never seen any of this, but so many things seem familiar.“  
They exchanged a quick glance.  
„What happened to the shard you found? Is it safe?“  
„She ate it“, Impa said dryly. She sounded like she was trying really hard not to laugh. „Ganondorf found her in the fields, and I happened to be nearby, so I witnessed the whole thing. She just looked him in dead the eyes and swallowed it. It was priceless.“  
So this man's name was Ganondorf. I burned it into my memory.  
Shiek looked at me with a mix of fascination and horror. „And then? I mean, do you feel... different?“  
„I felt... stronger, once I had swallowed the shard. And it made Ganondorf burn his hands when he tried to touch me.“  
Again, they exchanged a quick look.  
„Is that possible, Impa?“, Shiek asked.  
„I'm not sure“, Impa replied. „But either way, it means that Cassandra is in grave danger. Now that Ganondorf knows that Cassandra has the shard, he will do everything to get his hands on her.“  
I grasped my neck. „Oh god...“  
„Don't worry. We'll keep you safe“, Shiek promised. „But you have to do everything we say. Understood?“  
„Okay“, I said, shaking.  
Shiek turned to leave. „Can you handle her on your own, Impa? I would stay and help, but...“  
„I know. It's too dangerous to stay in one place for too long.“ Impa gave Shiek an affectionate smile. „Take care.“

After Shiek left, Impa pointed to the bed closer to the wall. „You'll sleep there. Are you hungry? I'll go get some food. After that, I would like to ask you some questions.“  
„Of course“, I replied.  
Impa left, and I sat down on the bed, burying my face in my hands. What was happening to me?  
A strange warmth filled my chest, comforting me. My hand wandered to where the warmth came from, and instead of my skin, I felt smooth crystal. I looked under my shirt and saw the shard embedded in my skin!  
I bit my lip and pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them and rocking myself until I calmed down. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't right. I should have been coming home from work right now. I should be entering my loving home, help my sister with her homework and then spend the evening reading the well-worn edition of my favourite John Sinclair story.  
While I was so deep in thought, I suddenly felt the urge die leave the house and the town. Where to, I did not know, but I felt like I would find out if I just followed it. But before I could, Impa came back, carrying some bread, cheese and dried meat.  
„There I am. Sorry it took so long.“ When she saw me rocking, she raised an eyebrow. „Are you quite alright?“  
I forced myself to stop and let out a deep sigh. „I'm okay. It's just something I do when I'm upset. It calms me.“  
She sat down next to me and handed me the food. „There you go.“  
I ate quickly, because my stomach was growling and when it did that, I would soon get a headache if I didn't eat.  
The bread tasted different from what I was used to. I couldn't describe it, but it wasn't a negative change. The meat, on the other hand, could have really used some salt.  
When I was done, I looked to Impa, waiting for her to start questioning me. But she just shook her head. „Maybe you should sleep before I ask any more questions of you. You had a rough day and probably need it.“  
„Okay“, I replied, wrapping the blanket around my and resting my head on the pillow. „Goodnight.“  
„Goodnight“, Impa replied.


End file.
